Robbie Lawler Made Decision To Compete At 170 Prior To Return To UFC

Robbie Lawler believes the decision to cut down to welterweight will help him make a bigger impact during his second tour of duty in the UFC.

Lawler, the former EliteXC middleweight champion, will face Josh Koscheck this Saturday night at UFC 157. He is just 1-3 in his last four fights, but owns 19 career victories.

“It is very exciting (to return to the UFC),” said Lawler, during a pre-fight press conference Thursday. “I didn’t realize it had been that long (since I last fought in the promotion). Kinda makes me feel old.”

Lawler cited the size of his opponents as the main reason for cutting down to 170 pounds. He is fightin in the UFC for the first time since 2004.

“For me to fight at a high level, I need to cut a little bit of weight,” Lawler said. “This is the big show. The first time I was here, I didn’t want to do everything, I just wanted to fight. Now, I think I am ready for that and excited to be here.”

Lawler’s built in that old-style of fighter mentality, where he will just stand and bang with you for either 15 minutes or until someone can’t stand anymore. With Koscheck, he is facing a well-rounded, former contender, and will need to show all his skills to be successful.